State parks shattered attendance records in 2020 despite closures, limits
Photo / Maureen Milliken
Maine's state parks set attendance records in 2020, as people sought outdoors activities during the pandemic. Pictured is Peaks-Kenny State Park in Dover-Foxcroft.
Mainers seeking outdoor activity in 2020 flocked to state parks and historic sites in record numbers, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry's Bureau of Parks and Lands said.
The number of visits to the state's 38 parks and 15 historic sites managed by the Bureau of Parks and Lands eclipsed the 3 million mark for the first time, despite the fact that March crowding caused the state to close 10 coastal state parks from late March until June.
While travel from out-of-state visitors was limited for the spring and most of the summer, that was offset by the fact Mainers also were looking to stay close to home and brought the tally to a record 3,067,112 day visitors and campers in 2020. State officials, including Gov. Janet Mills, encouraged people to get outside as limits on indoor gatherings shrank during the pandemic.
"With various travel limitations in place, it was great to see so many Maine families discovering our state parks for the first time," Andy Cutko, Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands director, said in a news release.
There were 2,786,750 day-use visits to the 53 parks and sites, up 74,532 (3%) from 2019; and 280,362 camping visitors at the 14 parks that have camping sites, up 21,871 (8%) from 2019. Previous record attendance was in 2018, followed by 2019, 2016 and 2017.
The parks normally generate about $100 million for the state's economy, according to the most recent DACF figures.
While the state didn't release figures for specific parks, Jim Britt, DACF communications director, told Mainebiz that two of the most popular were Bradbury Mountain State Park, in Pownal, and Sebago Lake State Park. Bradbury Mountain had a 65% increase in visits over 2019. The park, which is just outside Freeport, has easy hikes and camping. Sebago Lake State Park, which is the most popular in the state system, Britt said, had a 12% increase over 2019.
Popular coastal parks that closed March 26 and didn't reopen until June 1, and then, with parking restrictions to keep the visitor numbers from getting out of hand, were Reid State Park, in Georgetown; Popham Beach State Park, Fort Popham and Fort Baldwin, in Phippsburg; Kettle Cove State Park, Two Lights State Park and Crescent Beach State Park, in Cape Elizabeth; Scarborough Beach State Park and Ferry Beach State Park, in Scarborough; and Mackworth Island, in Falmouth.
Though not records, season pass purchases were up 2% and vehicle passes were up 3% from 2019, according to DACF. Individual season passes, which cost $55 for Maine residents, allow the holder to visit almost all of the state parks, state historic sites and public land without paying a fee. The vehicle pass, at $105, allows vehicles of up to 17 passengers entrance. The only places exempt from the pass are the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, Penobscot Narrows Observatory and Scarborough Beach.
Visitors to the park for the most part followed pandemic-related public health guidelines, state officials said.
"The whole BPL team and I extend a huge and warm thank-you to everybody who arrived at the parks prepared with face coverings and hand sanitizer and all the other requisite supplies for getting outside safely during the pandemic," Cutko said.
Amanda Beal, DACF commissioner, said that the department's biggest concern going into the 2020 peak summer season was the risk of COVID-19 exposure for park employees staff and visitors.
"Fortunately, because of our team's preparedness and professionalism, we made strategic designs, and we stayed healthy while creating safe experiences for the more than 3 million people who came to visit," she said. "It is quite an achievement, and one we intend to repeat in 2021."
Camping reservations for the 2021 season open Feb. 1 for Sebago Lake State Park and Feb. 5 for the other state parks that offer camping. Three of the historic sites and 22 of the parks are open year-round for hiking and day use,
The state park attendance numbers don't include Baxter State Park, which is not part of the Maine State Park system, but is operated by a separate board of directors. The park, which includes Mount Katahdin, usually gets about 60,000 visitors a year, but was closed until June 15 this year. From then until July 1, it had limited day use, and after that, was open for camping to Mainers and out-of-staters who had quarantined for two weeks. The park hasn't released its visitor numbers for 2020.
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